Neurotics pretty much always rock in comedy, regardless of the context of the show. Such was the case once again as the 36th Just for Laughs fest kicked off with its ever-popular Ethnic Show series Wednesday night at Club Soda.

Show closer Orny Adams, whose Jewish roots are incidental to his act, was worth the price of admission alone as the veteran New York City standup unravelled hysterically, to the delight of the crowd.

Adams claimed that every bad decision he had made in his life was the result of his being in a “high-T” (testosterone) state. Adams might think he’s in a “low-T” state now that he’s in his late 40s, but his wired delivery on a range of oddball subjects would seem to suggest otherwise.

Adams was particularly irate on the subject of smart fridges, which enable sloths to merely tap on a screen — rather than open the door — to see what’s inside. Nor does he want his smart fridge to inform him that he’s out of ketchup. But his biggest fear is that the smart fridge will go on the internet and start posting naked pictures of him looking for milk.

His Jewish roots are incidental to Orny Adams’s Ethnic Show routine at Just for Laughs.Dave Sidaway /
Montreal Gazette

Not surprisingly, Adams also had issues with what he perceives to be a dental conspiracy about how a lack of regular flossing will shorten one’s life by nearly a decade. Wrong, he barked. Time spent cleaning up messy mirrors from flossing – not to mention actual gum-prodding – will shorten one’s life even more.

The man is clearly unwell, with enough parental issues to keep a Freudian in business for a lifetime, but he will certainly make you forget about your woes.

Not to be outdone on the hilarious neurosis front was Matteo Lane, an American whose Italian lineage is also rather incidental to his act. Look for Lane’s star to brighten considerably during the festival and shortly thereafter with the release of his standup special on Netflix.

Matteo Lane is an American whose Italian lineage appears incidental to his Ethnic Show act at Just for Laughs.Dave Sidaway /
Montreal Gazette

Lane, another high-energy act, hit the stage in style, belting out an aria, which he pointed out was how he came out to his dad. Although he claimed he first wanted to be Mariah (Carey), he figured he was better suited as a comic. Certainly more than being an actor, where there are really only “three roles” for a gay thesp: “a bitchy friend, a bad guy or a Star Wars robot.”

And don’t get Lane started on Starbucks or the state of Ohio, either.

Curiously, among the show’s five acts and host Maz Jobrani, only one was a bona fide ethnic not residing in the U.S. That would be Loyiso Gola, another up-and-comer who was quick to seize upon the fact that unlike the others he had just arrived from South Africa.

“You guys think you’re pretty cool here because you can speak two languages,” he said. “We have 11 languages where I come from and I speak five of them, so f–k you!”

South Africa’s Loyiso Gola will be shooting a Netflix special at Just for Laughs.Dave Sidaway /
Montreal Gazette

He went on to give a whimsical yet crude English lesson on the joys of “onomatopoeia.” He also noted that only a bunch of white guys could form a band called The Killers and not have to deal with the consequences therein. True, that.

It will come as no surprise if Gola, who will be shooting a Netflix special at the fest, decides to reside in the U.S. soon.

More curiously, even though Francisco Ramos and Gina Brillon live in the contiguous U.S. now, their roots are, respectively, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican, two spots which have born the brunt of Trump, relating to, respectively, a partial travel ban and shoddy hurricane relief. Yet neither comic really addressed these issues, focusing instead on relatively banal spousal material.

It was left to Iranian-born host Jobrani — who has lived in the U.S. most of his life — to take shots: “The travel bans are like iPhone updates. To prove they’re not just anti-Muslim, they added Venezuelan diplomats, and Chad, who I thought was just a guy but turns out to be a Muslim African country.”

But while many feel Trump has been great for the comedy business, Jobrani disagreed. “We don’t have the time to develop material. We can’t keep up with him,” he said in reference to a constant barrage of news relating to everything from Trump’s stance on “s–thole” countries to Stormy Daniels. “He’s driving me nuts. Take away his phone.”

AT A GLANCE

The Ethnic Show, hosted by Maz Jobrani, runs until July 21 at Club Soda, 1225 St-Laurent Blvd., and from Tuesday, July 24 to Thursday, July 26 at MTelus, 59 Ste-Catherine St. E. Tickets cost $45.92 to $62.52.

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